Artest not out to prove anything with game-winner

In a matter of a few minutes in Game 5 Thursday, Ron Artest went from what was described by one reporter as “the outhouse to the penthouse” after hitting his game-winning layup.

His awkward buzzer-beater off a Kobe Bryant's miss followed two questionable 3-point attempts that could have given the Lakers, had he made one of them, a six-point cushion, with approximately a minute to play. Instead, he missed both and Phoenix tied the game on Jason Richardson's 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds left.

Following a timeout, Artest managed to grab Bryant's miss and score to give the Lakers a 103-101 victory and 3-2 edge in the Western Conference finals. He went from being jeered by the Staples Center crowd to being cheered by the same 19,000 people, his coach and teammates.

Was he happy to avoid the outhouse?

“I don't mind being in the outhouse. I don't mind being the goat, I don't mind being the villain, being hated,” Artest said after Friday's practice. “I've been that my whole career so it's not like it's going to be anything new.

“I don't mind people jumping on the bandwagon, jumping off, I don't mind. I just focus on my game.”

Artest was the focus of reporters' questions a day after his game-winning shot, maintaining his mantra of just “moving on.”

“When I first made the shot, you've seen the film, I really wasn't that happy,” Artest said. “But then I saw my teammates running to me, actually I saw Kobe running to me and then I got a little excited. I had to enjoy it, let my teammates enjoy it.

“If it were up to me, I would have run to he locker room afterward. I was ready to move on.”

After the on-court celebration, Artest did just that, sprinting off the court so fast, he missed his wife and kids, who were waiting near the court. When he realized what he had done, he darted back out, but they were gone.

And so was any remnant of excitement. Artest headed to the gym and worked out for an hour after the game.

“Maybe I'll look back at it after the season … those things don't make me excited,” Artest said.

“I don't think I proved anything, maybe hustle. I got some steals at the end, but I don't think I proved anything. I'm not trying to prove anything,” Artest said. “My main thing is just trying to stay in the game, staying focused and giving 100 percent. Sometimes, you know, 100 percent isn't good enough for the people watching.”

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